Irate NYC councilwoman accused of biting cop in scream-filled clash at homeless shelter protest: sources

An irate city councilwoman allegedly bit a deputy NYPD chief during a scream-filled clash with cops at a protest against a homeless shelter in Brooklyn , according to officials and video of the incident.

Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (D-43rd Dist.) was arrested on charges of second-degree and third-degree assault and resisting arrest Wednesday morning at a demonstration with “Residents Against Homeless Shelters” in Gravesend, police confirmed.

Zhuang, 38, allegedly tried to prevent officers from arresting another woman at the protest grabbing and pushing police barricades into cops — then bit Deputy Chief of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Frank DiGiacomo on the arm when he attempted to pull the councilwoman away from the barriers, law enforcement sources said.

Police confirmed on the phone to The Post that “multiple officers were assaulted” in the Wednesday morning demonstration and that several other demonstrators were also taken into custody. Zhuang is also charged with obstruction of government administration.

Footage of Zhuang’s arrest shows the lawmaker cable-tied to a barricade while screaming incoherently as police attempt to take her into custody.

Another video shows Zhuang — wearing a bright pink top and patterned tights — being hauled away by police while protesters continue to scream off screen.

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A council source told The Post that Zhuang’s behavior is “disqualifying for a council member.”

“Violence against our cops is unacceptable and just because you are a member of the Common Sense Caucus doesn’t make it right at all,” they said.

“Biting a cop is a felony. We need to back the blue, not bite the blue.”

A Democratic operative said this is the second time a Common Sense Caucus member has had a run-in with the law.

“Another pro-police and law & order Common Sense Caucus member running into serious criminal problems. Where is the common sense in bringing a gun to a rally, and now biting a cop?,” they said, referring to Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-48th Dist.) bringing a gun to a pro-Palestinian rally.

Vernikov has since had those charges dropped .

Police confirmed 150 people were at the demonstration, but had no details about other charges.

Zhuang posted a video on X just before 6 a.m. Wednesday screaming at a cop about the noise coming from the construction site.

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“We have a right to ask them about their permit,” one person can be heard saying to an officer.

“They have to have a permit,” another screamed and added, “I cannot hear anything because it’s so loud.”

“No it’s not, it’s not making noise, you’re screaming for no reason,” the officer responds calmly.

One unidentified person then begins to question the officer about whether the “mayor is above the law.”

A City Hall spokesperson said the Adams administration is “committed to building this much-needed shelter.”

“Every community must have the resources they need to support their most vulnerable neighbors, and this community has no shelters,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Post.

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The site has active demolition permits issued by the Department of Buildings to take down the existing building.

Zhuang was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.

Zhuang didn’t comment and appeared stone-faced as she was taken from the 62nd Precinct to court to await arraignment.

The protest comes just months after more than 2,000 New Yorkers incensed over the city’s plan to build a homeless shelter in their Brooklyn neighborhood descended on City Hall.

Residents, many brandishing signs and American flags, blasted the 32-room shelter — designed to accommodate up to 150 adult men — saying it could become a magnet for drugs, crime and other trouble when it opens later this year.

Leading the opposition were Zhuang and Assemblyman William Colton (D-47th Dist.), with the rally growing so massive that it spilled over into City Hall Park.

The new shelter — proposed for 2501 86th St. at 25th Avenue in Gravesend — would be constructed as a hotel, complete with a community center, and then contracted by the city, Zhuang said at the time.

Zhuang contends that the city jammed the plan through without consulting its neighbors.

A city Department of Social Services spokesperson at the time denied Zhuang’s claim, saying the city first notified the community in November 2023.

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